Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The rapid development of light-emitting diode (LED) technology has generated growing academic and commercial interest in protected cultivation systems using artifi cial lighting. Controlled light cultivation can increase crop productivity by enhancing the amount of light energy absorbed by plants for photosynthesis. In greenhouse vegetable production, luminaires installed above the plant canopy are typically used to supplement solar radiation. However, for crops with a multi-tiered canopy structure, inter-row or intra-canopy lighting can also be applied within the phytocenosis. (Research purpose) This study aims to analyze inter-row, or intra-canopy, lighting technology as a promising method for increasing the yield of multi-tiered agricultural crops. (Materials and methods) Studies on the application of inter-row lighting were reviewed using tomato and cucumber as examples, as these crops form the basis of greenhouse vegetable production in Russia. The main lighting parameters of inter-row lighting were identifi ed, including intensity, spectral composition, supplementary lighting period, installation height, and spatial arrangement of plantgrowth luminaires. The collected materials were classifi ed and analyzed using a systems-based approach to the research problem. (Results and discussion) The optimization of the light regime is considered a key factor in overcoming the limitations caused by insufficient solar radiation and requires an interdisciplinary approach. The analysis showed that inter-row lighting can signifi cantly increase the yield of crops with a multi-tiered canopy structure, such as tomato and cucumber. This technology improves light distribution, compensates for light deficiency within the phytocenosis, enhances the photosynthetic activity of lower-tier leaves, and may delay their senescence. The paper presents data on the use of red, blue, green, and far-red radiation. Particular attention is given to green light, whose application in inter-row lighting remains insuffi ciently studied, despite its ability to penetrate deeply into the plant canopy and its potential to improve light distribution within the phytocenosis. (Conclusions) Inter-row lighting makes it possible to regulate photomorphogenesis, which is important for further increasing crop productivity and improving yield quality.
Institution: Federal Scientific Agroengineering Center VIM
Language: English
Topic: Light effects on plants
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: diamond
Award: G4588854137
OpenAlex ID: W7220839641